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Casting and conjuring
Through the lifespan of Alera as a continent, it has been shaped by the magic used within it. Some for the betterment of man, others for power and personal gain. Through time, several different types of magic has risen and fallen, however, four magic schools stands as pillars from which all else sprung. 'The Four Magic Schools' Witchcraft (most D&D magic) * The caster: Considered a heretic or witch, hunted and most likely has a price on his head. This art can be learned through study and amplified through bloodlines. * The magic: Witchcraft is something that through sheer will, godly or other-worldly interactions conjure implausible effects or results from nothing, breaking the fundamental law of magic. The magic in question is often of unimaginable proportions, often distorting the space around them and bringing utter destruction. * History: Some say it originated from the angels, some say it originated from the devil and his devil-spawn deals. Some say it came from ungodly rituals of mating, which led to the birth of sorceress, who in turn taught their arcane findings to the would-be wizards. However, most agree on that it is a powerful and unwieldy art, not to be possessed by any mortal, or death will follow in their wake. Read Spell Alterations before picking your spells Fury-Crafting * The caster: Abilities are inherited through blood lines and one grows into their powers at a young age. Most often there are a direct correlation between the skill level of a fury crafter and their status in the Aleran society. * The magic: This magic manipulates the essence of the elemental furies or the furies themselves. The elements associated with furies are earth, water, air, fire, metal, and wood. A fury-crafter can either call upon the spirit of the furies they posses for their attributes or call upon the spirit itself to animate before them. Chromaturgy * The caster: The caster, or in this case "drafter", is as fury-crafting, inherited and amplified through bloodlines, but for the most part, the ability must be learned and mastered. The catch for this form of “magic” is that it drains your lifespan every time you use it, leading to it becoming illegal to teach at the start of the mage war due to a drafter could go through his or her lifespan over the course of 3-4 battlefields - if he survived that long. * The magic: When a candle burns, a physical substance (wax) is transformed into light. Chromaturgy is the inverse: A drafter transforms light into a physical substance (luxin). Each different color of luxin has its own strength, weight, and even smell: blue luxin is hard and shatters like a crystal, red is gooey like tar, green is flexible like a fresh branch, orange is slick as oil etc. But as drafters change the light of the world through drafting, the light changes them too, much like the sun does to the floorboards of a house. The drafter is changed physically, mentally, and emotionally based on their “colors”. This magic is now mostly only seen by street hustlers willing to use it to make a coin or two, or special legionaries in the army. * History: Was once one of the most widespread uses of "magic" due to its versatility both in and out of combat. It could be used as a construction material for buildings, replacement for the steel blade on a sword or as a devastating weapon in its pure form. In addition, it had a great following in the form of religion, as Orholam, the god of light was praised as the source of chromaturgy. Alchemy * The caster: Anyone can learn this type of magic, but it is by far the hardest to learn and its knowledge has been lost since before the start of the mage war. * The magic: It’s a magic closely related to science. It's based on the founding principle that ignited the mage war – equivalent exchange. This magic does not conjure but simply modifies the materials around one self, but if not understood to its full extent before use, it can have dire consequences. Of all four, this magic has the most severe ramifications of them all, and only few in history has ever mastered this without killing themselves or their loved ones in the process. The magic is said to be split into a three step process – comprehension, deconstruction and reconstruction. Magic of the world: The practiced arts differ greatly depending on continent and populous. Alera is mainly dominated by fury-crafting as it is ingrained into the power structure of the nobility and is reliant of the furies of the land. Canea is know to have so called blood-speakers, often referred to a shamans or ritualists. Calcis has the bondsmagi of Karthain with their witchcraft. Adua is the most diverse in terms of the Arts, but is mainly dominated by the roots of alchemy (potions, biology and elemental interactions). Adua also holds drafters using Chromaturgy, as well as the Art of Sympathy, or 'sympathetic bindings', aka. "the magic of cohesion". Midcury has Ka'karifers and 'Meisters'. Respectively soldiers of innate power, who can bond with magical items and spellcasters who willingly let themselves get infected by a sentient magic.